Quote<\/p>\n
\u201cQuite a few players need to be dropped, but who do you replace them with? It\u2019s like saying your Ferrari\u2019s not been performing well and you want to use your other car, but that other car is a Ford Focus.\u201d \u2013 Manchester United old boy Paul Parker offending both Ford Focus owners and United\u2019s fringe players in one fell swoop.<\/p>\n
Number: 57<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how many millions (in euros) each of Neymar\u2019s seven appearances cost for Al Hilal, the fella injured for the bulk of his stay before departing for Santos. (And his single goal cost \u20ac400 million). Pricey.<\/p>\n
Word of Mouth \u2013 the best (and worst) of 2025, Part II <\/p>\n
Handball Havoc: \u201cWe now all have to run around like penguins, with our arms glued to the sides of our bodies \u2013 and jump like penguins too.\u201d \u2013 Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini in need of a p-p-p-pick up after his side conceded a controversial late penalty in the Champions League.<\/p>\n
Language Barrier: \u201cI think the referee did not understand Jude\u2019s English. He said \u2018F**k off\u2019, not \u2018F**k you\u2019 \u2013 that\u2019s way different.\u201d \u2013 Carlo Ancelotti on the ref failing to spot the, well, nuance between \u2018you\u2019 and \u2018off\u2019 when he red-carded Jude Bellingham for being rude.<\/p>\n
Humility: \u201cBeing handsome is not just the face, but the whole package. Imagine Cristiano and a normal guy in red speedos in Copacabana … you think I\u2019m not going to have a chance with anyone? His face is beautiful, yes, but the rest is normal. I\u2019m not normal. I\u2019m perfect.\u201d \u2013 Cristiano \u2212 of course \u2013 on being asked who was the more gorgeous, himself or David Beckham.<\/p>\n
Energizer Bunny: \u201cThere are two kinds of people \u2013 people that are vacuums and people that are batteries, who will give energy, joy, enthusiasm. And he is a really, really, really big battery for this group, the biggest battery I have worked with in a football team.\u201d \u2013 Heimir Hallgr\u00edmsson paying a mighty tribute to S\u00e9amus Coleman.<\/p>\n
Spanish Uncivil War: \u201cThe architects of permanent smear campaigns against our shield and our essences. They are the same ones who confuse power with unenlightened despotism; those who practice cynicism and excessive arrogance; those who vomit lies and intoxicate constantly and permanently.\u201d \u2013 Apart from that, Barcelona president Joan Laporta respects Real Madrid greatly.<\/p>\n
Half-term Report: \u201cHe seems like a clueless and insubstantial player, with the expression of a rabbit in the headlights. His quality at set-pieces is masked by his right foot, but in open play he is non-existent.\u201d \u2212 Spanish paper Marca suggesting that Trent Alexander-Arnold needs to do a touch better in his debut Real Madrid season.<\/p>\n
Clear-Out: \u201cI think Wolves would sell the tea lady if they got the chance.\u201d \u2013 Steve Froggatt a touch frustrated about his former club forever floggin\u2019 their finest.<\/p>\n
Modesty: Talksport\u2019s Charlie Baker: \u201cDid you ever play with a centre back as fast as Micky Van de Ven?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sol Campbell: \u201cYes \u2013 Sol Campbell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Back with the Bhoys: \u201cI was 73 on Monday, and I\u2019m 94 now … They got me a [green] tracksuit with really tight pants. I look like Robin Hood.\u201d \u2013 Other than that, Martin O\u2019Neill enjoyed his brief return to Celtic.<\/p>\n
Besotted: \u201cTo say I fell in love with him wouldn\u2019t be an understatement. He swept into Chelsea. He floated in, he didn\u2019t walk, almost like a UFO. There\u2019s something about Thomas for me … stardust there. I think it\u2019s God given.\u201d \u2013 How much does former Republic of Ireland assistant coach Anthony Barry love Thomas Tuchel? Loads.<\/p>\n
Lights Out: \u201cThat wouldn\u2019t have worked out because I\u2019m colour blind. I don\u2019t think you\u2019d want me doing your house \u2013 turn the kettle on and your phone rings.\u201d \u2013 Alan Mahon, assistant coach of the Republic of Ireland\u2019s women\u2019s team until earlier this month, on his da\u2019s advice that he become an electrician.<\/p>\n
Bad Cess To Ya: \u201cDisgraceful because you\u2019re false, disgraceful because you\u2019re a traitor. Disgraceful because even you never understood the fullness of our love.\u201d \u2013 Napoli supporters group Anima Azzurra wishing their former boss Luciano Spalletti well after he took over at Juventus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Quote \u201cQuite a few players need to be dropped, but who do you replace them with? It\u2019s like…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":215692,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[61,60,3166,112],"class_list":{"0":"post-215691","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-ie","9":"tag-ireland","10":"tag-real-madrid","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215691"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215691\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}